identified. Zoey disappeared again recently, around the same time. This, mere days ago.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because Zoey’s former college roommate and current sister-in-law is Rae Burke.”
A few breaths escaped before Kelvin responded. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Unfortunately, I’m not.” Life could be a series of unexpected events all tangled together.
“And she’s there, in Jackson Hole.”
“Yes. Looking for Zoey.”
“Because?”
“Rae came to town to talk to Zoey’s mother and learned about Simon. Now she wonders if Enzo Astor took Zoey to exact revenge.” Liam might be telling his old friend and boss too much, but then again, someone besides Liam and Rae needed to know—in case the worst happened.
“What are you going to do?”
“We’re shadowing Astor. We need to find Zoey. He’s our strongest lead.”
“I’m going to have to ask you to stand down, at least until I learn if he’s someone we have an interest in. You haven’t been cleared for this. That is, unless you want to come in and we’ll get that process going.”
Coming in would take too long. Zoey’s life could depend on it. Most certainly Rae’s could.
“No can do.”
“McKade, stand down.”
“Are you forgetting? I don’t work for you. I don’t have to stand down.”
This was one moment when he wished he was still an agent in the field so he would have access to intel and backup and also have the power behind the badge, but it would take much too long to go back. They would put him on another case anyway. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m helping Rae, and she needs my protection. Don’t worry, I only have eyes on Astor. I’m hanging out at the same ski resort.”
Kelvin sighed. “This doesn’t feel right to me. You should be working for us. You’re a good agent.”
“I appreciate the words, Kelvin. If you learn something more about Astor, then I’d at least like to know if you already have an agent in place.”
“That depends on if I’m at liberty to tell you.”
“I love working with the government,” Liam drawled.
“I look forward to the moment you actually work for us.” Kelvin ended the call.
A resort minivan steered from the circular drop-off beneath the awning and exposed a man leaning against the building. Black clothes. Binoculars? He ducked behind a building.
Liam held back his need to get his hands on that man. He glanced at Rae. With the additional pictures she took on the slopes today, maybe they could identify him, though it was doubtful.
Funny that he’d returned to Jackson Hole to mentally recuperate, regroup, and maybe find himself again, find where he belonged. But working with Heath at the ranch for months had him floundering without a goal or a vision.
Now it seemed that his goal and vision were crystal clear. Rae Burke.
That it was about her all over again—the reason he’d come back to Jackson Hole in the first place—was hard to wrap his mind around. That’s what he got for thinking he was done with her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
1:22 p.m.
Bridger County Sheriff’s Office
Grayback, Wyoming
Rae downloaded files from the cloud onto her newly purchased laptop, thanks to a quick stop on the way to the sheriff’s office, and watched Liam pace in the small office while they waited on the sheriff.
“He’ll listen, Rae. He has to,” Liam said.
She had the feeling Liam was trying to convince himself.
“Besides, we have to report what happened today. I’d prefer Taggart himself hears about it rather than just filing a report, and he has to agree that it’s part of his larger investigation.”
Now Rae waited on the downloads, so she tried to reach Reggie. She hoped he had more information for her. Reggie was truly a godsend, and she was grateful he’d been more than willing to get on board with helping her. In journalism, knowledge was power. She knew approaching people and asking them questions point-blank were important parts of the investigative process, and she’d done that with Enzo Astor today. But she needed additional information on him. If she knew more about the man, she would have ammunition when she met with him. Still, she couldn’t shake the sense that she’d yet to truly find Zoey’s trail. At least she wasn’t in this alone, and many well-trained agencies were searching for her friend and sister-in-law.
Oh, Zoey . . .
Reggie didn’t answer, and she ended the call without leaving a voicemail. He knew what she needed. She tapped the edge of the desk. “We need to pick up the pace, but how?”